Flush closing sliding doors



C. BARABAS -FLUSH CLOSING SLIDING DOORS May 12, 1970 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed April 11, 1968 I mm il. MM

INVENTOR. CHARLES BARABAS ,W IZ/M/ ATTORNEY c. BARABAS FLUSH CLOSING SLIDING DOORS May 12, 1970 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed April 11, 1968 66 MIME,

INVENTOR. CHARLES BARABAS BY fi M x/A%a.;.

ATTORNEY United States Patent 3,510,983 FLUSH CLOSING SLIDING DOORS Charles Barabas, Highland Park, N.J., assignor to Bara Industries Corp., Highland Park, N.J., a corporation of Delaware Filed Apr. 11, 1968, Ser. No. 720,563 Int. Cl. Ed 15/10 US. Cl. 49-130 19 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A door assembly wherein the doors are flush when in the closed position. The invention provides alternate mechanisms for moving the doors from the closed position to the open position. One of the mechanisms further advantage is that tracks on the floor are not required, providing a clear uncluttered floor space.

The door assembly utilizes novel apparatus and mechanisms including an overhead suspension mechanism, spring plunger mechanism and door guidance means which are also claimed.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The majority of closet and cabinet doors are either flush doors which hinge at the outer edges, or sliding doors with the front door moving in a front track and the rear door moving in a rear track. A number of sliding door arrangements have been proposed in which the doors are flush when in the closed position. Most of these arrangements are unduly complex and/or require tracks or other mechanism on the floor of the cabinet or closet. The best of the prior door structures is that disclosed in my US. Pat. No. 2,959,827.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention provides a flush door closet or cabinet in which a first door remains in the same plane when the doors are in the open position, that it occupies when the doors are in the closed flush position. The second door is in the front plane when the doors are in the closed position and is moved into a rearward plane in back of the first door, when the doors are in an open position. The second door is guided to the rear position by bevelled upper and lower guide surfaces on the rear of the first door. The side of the first door that abuts the second door when the doors are in the closed position is wedge shaped with the rearward slanting surface forming an angle of less than 45 with the front surface of the door. The side of the second door abutting the first door when the doors are in the closed position is also slanted, with the rearward slanting surface forming an angle of between 135 and 90 with the front surface of the door.

The invention also provides novel mechanisms for suspending the doors and/or guiding and positioning them in and into the closed position, and the two open posit-ions.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the flush doors in the closed position together with the overhead mechanism for suspending the doors. A portion of the door construction and the floor mechanism is disclosed in cutaway sect-ion.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the upper portion of the door mechanism of FIG. 1, with the doors in the open position.

FIG. 3 is a vertical sectional view through both doors when they are in the open position of FIG. 2.

FIG. 4 is a perspective rear view of the flush nonsuspended doors in the closed position, together with the hardware used to control the door movement.

FIG. 5 is a partial vertical sectional view through both panels when they are in an open position.

FIG. 6 is a schematic view showing various positions occupied by the doors using the mechanism of FIG. 4.

FIG. 7 is a detailed section of the nestling sections of the doors when in the closed position; also illustrating the rectilinear strengthening member, and the magnetic positioning device.

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of the floor spring plunger and housing; with a cutaway section.

FIG. 9 is a perspective view of the ceiling spring plunger and housing; with a cutaway section.

FIG. 10 is a section of a finger hole arrangement.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION A pair of flush closing overhead suspending doors .10 are particularly illustrated in FIGS. 1, 2 and 3. Viewing the doors from the front, the left hand door 11 closes flush with right hand door 12. Door 11 is suspended from two angled plates 13 from wheels 14. When the doors are opened by moving door 11 to the right, it remains in the same plane it occupies when closed and moves into the planar position occupied by door .12 when door 12 is closed. The movement of door 11 forces door 12 to move backward into the rear planar position. Wheels 14 supporting door 11 roll on front track 15. The right side of door 11 is wedge shaped, with edge .16 formed by the intersection of surface 58 with the front of door 11. Surface 58 slants backward toward the rear of door 11 and forms an angle 17 of less than 45 with the front surface of door 11, as more particularly shown in FIGS. 6 and 7.

The left side of door 12 may be wedge shaped, or may be rounded as is side 18 illustrated in FIGS. 1, 2, 6 and 7. When the edge is wedge shaped, the angle formed by the backward slanting surface 60 depicted by broken lines n FIG. 6 forms an angle of less than 135 with the front surface of door 12. The rounded edge 18 results, in effect, from removing the leading triangular (in crosssection) portion of the wedge which results from the intersection of surface 59 with the back of door 12 and which serves no function.

The combination of wedge shaped side 16 of door 11 at an angle of less than 45, with the corresponding side 18 of door 12 with an angle between 135 and (corresponding to an angle greater than 45) permits the doors to be readily moved past each other. When door 11 is moved toward the right, it gradually moves door 12 back as the side 18 rides back on surface 58. Similarly, when door 12 is opened by movement to the left, it rides to the rear of door 11, as sid 18 rides back upon surface 58, as illustrated in FIG. 6.

The positioning of door 12 to the rear of door 11 is a result of contact between the front surface of door 12 with the bottom bevelled surface 19 on the rear of door 11 and the correspondingly situated top bevelled surface 20. Bevelled surface 19 slants outward as it extends in the downward direction. Bevel '19 extends across the rear of door 11, ending at the right side where it tapers off at the bottom of edge 16. Bevel 20 has a similar shape except that it extends outward and upward instead of outward and downward as does bevel 19. Movement of door 12 behind door 11, either by pushing door 12 to the left, or by pushing door 11 to the right causes the same relative movement between the two doors. Door 12 is positioned to the rear of door 11 and only contacts door 11 along the rear extension of the lower bevelled edge 19 and the upper bevelled edge 20. An optional 3 plastic insert strip 62 is shown in cooperating position with bevel edge 19.

Door 12 is suspended from suspension plates 22 which ride on rods 23. Rods 23 are carried by front wheels 24 and rear wheels 25. Front wheels 24 move on middle track 21. Rear wheels 25 move on rear track 26. Suspension plates 22 are continually pressed toward the closed door position by springs 27 which incase the rearward portion of rods 23. When door 12 is moved to the right from its open position behind door 11, as illustrated in FIG. 2, spring 27 will force the right portion of door 12 into the front plane, i.e., the plane occupied by door 11, as the right side of door 12 clears the rearward positioning outer-most edges of bevels 19 and 20. When door 12 is entirely to the right and abutting door 11, it is forced and maintained in the front position by the action of the two springs 27.

Door 11 is maintained in the front position at the various locations it may occupy by the coaction of upwardly extending guide 28 and groove 30*, illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 3. Alternatively groove 30 may be omitted and guide 28 replaced by front guide 29 as illustrated in FIG. 3. Although guides 28 and 29" are illustrated as as angles affixed to the floor, it is obvious that they may be upwardly extending projections rising directly from the floor without any visible attachments thereto. When using an outer guide 29 which does not coact with a groove 30, it is preferred that a stop be positioned on the floor to the rear of door 11 to prevent it from being forced inward by inwardly directed pressure on the lower portion of the door.

The bottom of door 12 is positioned by spring actuated forward extending plunger 31 which is positioned close to the left edge 18 of door 12. The position of plunger 31 should be such that when door 12 is moved fully to the left behind door 11, plunger 31 will continue to engage the rear right portion of door 12. Door 12 preferably contains an indented surface 32 positioned to mate with the front of plunger 31 when door 12 is in the position at the right, to prevent movement of door 21 when door 11 is pulled to the left from an open position in front of door 11. The lower rear surface of door 12 (and 112) is preferably covered with a hard plastic strip 65 to minimize wear from rubbing contact with the front of plunger 31.

FIGS. 4 and 6 illustrate doors which are not suspended. These are usually smaller doors used in cabinets. Such doors may have rollers in the bottom, although this is not necessary for many cabinet uses. FIG. 4 views the doors from the rear, with doors 111 and 112 generally corresponding to doors 11 and 12, respectively, of FIG. 1. Door 111 moves in the front plane and is maintained in that plane by a guide and stop and/or guide and groove at the bottom, as detailed in connection with door 11 hereinbefore. The upper portion of door 11 may also be guided by a thin or short guide extending downwardly from the roof of the installation into groove 39. A roller stop 61 affords stability to the guidance system. Door 112 is guided to its rearward positions by sliding contact along the rearmost extensions of bevelled surfaces 19 and 20, when door 112 is moved relative to door 111, as described hereinbefore in connection with doors 11 and 12.

Door 12 is positioned at its upper surface by contact with forward moving pressure bar 34. Pressure bar 34 is affixed to spring actuated plungers 35. As illustrated in FIG. 6, movement of door 112 to the left causes it to ride behind door 111. Its rearmost position is governed by a stationary guide bar 36 which is aflixed to the roof of the installation, to the rear of door 111. The pressure bar 34 is positioned so that it extends sufiiciently toward door 111 so that when door 112 is positioned behind the position door 111 occupies when the doors are in the closed position, the pressure bar 34 will contact at least a sm ll portion of the rear of door .112.

4 When the two doors are in the flush closed position, movement of doors 111 to the right will cause door 112 to remain in the right portion of the installation, but to move back against the continuous resistance of bar 34.

Although the flush door arrangement of the present invention is described for convenience in terms of left door 11 (or 111) and right door 12 (or 112) and the associate mechanisms, it is obvious that the entire arrangement may be completely reversed in position, a mirror image, with the same results.

A variant of the overhead suspended door illustrated in FIGS. 1, 2 and 3, is illustrated in FIG. 5. The suspension and movement of door 11 is that described hereinbefore in connection with FIGS. 1, 2 and 3. Door 12 has the same movement except that there are no springs 27 in the suspending hardware. The forward pressure necessary to move door 12 into the front plane and obtain the flush closed position is supplied by pressure bar 37 which is afiixed to two plungers 38. Pressure bar 37 and plungers 38 correspond in general function and position with pressure bar 34 and plungers 35 of the non-suspended doors illustrated in FIG. 4.

The doors may be moved relative to each other by finger holes in the left portion of door 11 and right portion of door 12. Fingerhole 33 is illustrated in FIG. 1 and FIG. 10. It consists of a round hole in the front surface of the door which enters into an enlarged rearwardly extending space. The shoulder 40 formed by the enlarged hole behind the hole in the front surface is covered with a circular outwardly channelled surface 41. Surface 41 may be metal but is preferably a resilient material such as rubber or plastic. The doors may be moved by hardware aflixed near the edges, but this may limit the possibility of fully positioning one door behind the other. The rearward opening of the finger hole may be closed with a suitable seal member 56 to insure dust tightness.

The mechanism used for the overhead suspended doors consists of a longitudinal top plate 42 which is adapted to be screwed into the roof or ceiling of the cabinet or closet. Plate 42 supports two downwardly extending channel support plates; a front support plate 43 and a rear support plate 44. Plate 43 supports two longitudinal tracks in a back to back relationship, front track 15 and backwardly extending middle track 21. Track 15 is used to carry rollers 13 which support the door 11 moving in the front plane. Middle track 21 supports the front rollers 24 which together with the rear rollers 25 support door 12. The rear rollers 25 are carried in rear track 26 supported by rear support plate 44. Door 12 which is adapted to be in the front plane when the doors are in the closed position and in the rear plane when the doors are in open position, moves between these planes upon rods 23. The door is preferably moved and supported by a combination wherein two rollers 24 support a plate which carries the front of rod 23. Essentially the same overhead suspension mechanism is used in the arrangement depicted in FIG. 5, except that since rod 23 is shorter because it does not support a spring, the top plate 42 may not be as wide as in the arrangement depicted in FIG. 3.

The plunger 31 which positions and helps guide the inside of the lower portion of doors 12 and 112 is illustrated in FIGS. 1, 4 and 8. It consists of plunger 31 which moves in housing 45. Pressure is applied upon plunger 31 by spring 46 which is constrained by back plate 47. Housing 45 is affixed to the floor through flanges 53. Alternatively, housing 45 could be sunk into the floor leaving only a visible slot normal to door 12. Pressure would be applied to door 12 by an upward extension from the end of plunger 31 which would extend upward through the slot.

FIG. 9 illustrates the spring plunger housing 48 which is also illustrated in FIG. 4. Plunger 35 extends rearward 1y with a reduced diameter shank 49. Forward pressure is exerted upon plunger 35 by spring 50 which is constrained by adjustable screw 66. Housing 48 is designed to be fixed to the ceiling or roof through flanges 52. The front of plunger 35 terminates in a reduced radius outwardly extending section 57 which is aifixed to pressure bar 34. As described in connection with FIG. 8, the entire plunger mechanism 48 could be sunk into the roof with only a visible slot normal to pressure bar 34. A downwardly extending flange from plunger 35 would extend through the slot and be aflixed to pressure bar 34.

Although the doors move easily and are readily moved into the flush closed position, there may be a tendency for the doors to separate slightly at the center. This is overcome and the doors positioned close to each other through a magnetic positioning device depicted in FIG. 7. It consists of a ferrous plate set into rounded surface 18. The magnet 54 extends in a vertical direction. It may be an inch or two long, or several inches long. If desired, several magnets may be spaced at intervals along surface 18. A ferrous metal section 55 is afiixed to the rear and right side 58 of door 11. Section 55 is positioned in surface 58 to be engaged by magnet 54.

The doors used in the construction are preferably braced to avoid warping. It is often advisable that the door consist only of a front surface and rearwardly extending framing and bracing members, as illustrated in FIG. 4. Although a back closing panel may be aflixed, the resultant temperature and moisture differentials tend to promote warping. Small doors may be braced with wood and/or simple reinforcing angles. I prefer to brace large doors and even those small doors in which the avoidance of warping is most important with hollow rectilinearly shaped metal strengthening members. These members 59 preferably aluminum or steel, illustrated in cross section in FIG. 3 and FIG. 7, are aflixed to the front surface and/or the wooden (or even plastic) framing members, e.g. wood frame 51. These bracing members 59 are also disclosed in the cut-away section of FIG. 1. They may be afiixed to the wood frame 51 and to hard wood members 119 and 120 which provide bevelled guide surfaces 19 and 20, respectively. The doors could be molded in plastic or pressed wood, including members corre sponding to framing members 51 and bevelled members 119 and I120. The surfaces of bevelled members 119 and 120 which are in sliding contact with the front surface of door 12 (and 112) are preferably faced with a long wearing low friction material, eg a plastic strip. The opposed surfaces at the top and bottom of the front of door 12 (and 112) may be similarly protected.

As many embodiments of this invention may be made without departing from the spirit and scope thereof, it is to be understood that the invention includes all such modifications and variations as come within the scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A door assembly wheerin doors are flush and in the same plane when in the closed position comprising abutting first and second doors;

the side surface of said first door which abuts said second door when the doors are in the closed position is disposed rearward and extends away from said second door with said rearwardly extending surface forming an included angle of less than 45 with the front surface of said first door;

the side surface of said second door which abuts said first door when the doors are in the closed position is disposed angularly rearward in the direction of said first door;

means for guiding the movement of said first door to an open position so that it is moved only in the plane it occupies when it is in the closed position;

said first door containing a lower guide member and an upper guide member, said guide members extending across the rear of said door and extending rearwardly a distange greater than any other portion of said first door and gradually tapering to be substantially flush with the front face of said door and with the side surface of said first door abutting said second door, said lower guide member having a downwardly and rearwardly extending surface with its outermost extension substantially at the bottom of said door and said upper guide member having an upwardly and rearwardly extending surface with its outermost extension substantially at the top of said door;

means for guiding the movement of said second door to move in a plane to the rear of said first door when said doors are in an open position;

whereby when said doors are in the closed position,

movement of said first door against said second door causes said second door to be pushed backward as said first door moves in front of it into its planar position behind said first door;

and whereby when said doors are in the closed position, movement of said second door toward said first door causes said second door to be guided into its planar position behind said first door.

2. The door assembly of claim 1 wherein each of said doors is a warp-free panel comprising a front panel surface and rearwardly extending bracing comprising at least two spaced bracing members interconnected with at least two other spaced bracing members, said bracing members being a hollow metal member having a rectilinear cross section.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said doors are positioned with their abutting edges in contact comprising the combination of a permanent magnet imbedded in one of said rearwardly extending surfaces slanting backward from the front surface of one of said doors, and

affixing a ferrous material in the opposed surface of said other door positioned to contact said magnet when said doors are in the closed position.

4. The door assembly of claim 1 wherein said first door is guided in its planar position by a vertically directed guide means between said first door and the floor therebeneath.

5. The door assembly of claim 4 wherein said second door is moved into the position it occupies when said doors are closed by upper spring means applied to at least two spaced positions along the upper rear side of said second door, and by spring means applied to the rear of said second door at a position adjacent the bottom thereof and close to the side of said second door that abuts said first door.

6. The door assembly of claim 5 wherein said upper spring means used to position said second door in the closed position is a movable forward bearing bar positioned so that when it is in its rearmost position, it is a distance from the front of the door assembly equal to the combined width of first and second doors, said movable forward bearing bar being aifixed to at least two forwardly directed spring means which cause it to apply pressure to the rear of said second door, said movable bearing bar extending sufficiently toward the first door so that when said second door is positioned behind the position said first door occupies when the doors are in the closed position, said bar will contact at least a small portion of the rear of said second door.

7. The door assembly of claim 5 wherein said spring means applied to the rear of said second door at the position adjacent the bottom thereof is a spring plunger mechanism comprising a housing having longitudinal flanges and a central longitudinal bore with an opening through one side, said bore being enlarged and of the greater diameter in the rear portion of said housing opposed to said opening, said housing containing a spring in the rear portion thereof, and a plunger extending through said opening, said plunger having a radially extended flange or stop in the enlarged portion of the housing whereby its movement through said side opening is prevented.

8. The door assembly of claim 6 wherein said second door is positioned completely behind said first door by a stationary back guide aflixed to the roof of the installation and positioned a distance behind said first door equal to the width of said second door; and wherein the rear of said movable forward bearing bar is affixed to two spring actuated plungers, said plungers extending in a direction normal to the surface of said second door when it is in the closed position.

9. The door assembly of claim 8 wherein said two spring actuated plungers which are affixed to said movable forward bearing bar are each a spring plunger mechanism comprising a housing having longitudinal flanges and a central longitudinal bore with an opening through one side of suflicient size to permit a plunger adapted to be fitted within said bore to extend, and a threaded opening in the side of the housing opposite and in line with said first opening containing an adjustable screw, a plunger positioned in and extending through said first side opening, and a spring in said housing in contact with said adjustable screw and positioned to bear against said plunger.

10. The door assembly of claim 4 wherein said first door is suspended and carried by wheels which ride in a track that extends over the positions occupied by both doors when in the closed position; and wherein said second door is suspended from at least two horizontal rods extending in a plane normal to the plane of the track by suspending hangers, each of said rods being supported by at least one front wheel and one rear wheel, said front wheel riding on a middle track directly to the rear of the track which carries said first door, and said rear wheel riding ona rear track, said second door being movably suspended from said horizontal rods so that the door may move in the direction normal to the plane of said tracks.

11. The door assembly of claim 10 wherein said first door is suspended and carried by wheels which ride in a front track that extends over the position occupied by both doors when in the closed position; and wherein said second door is attached to suspending hangers attached to at least two horizontal rods extending in a plane normal to the plane of the track, each of said rods being supported by at least one front wheel and one rear wheel, said front wheel riding on a middle track directly to the rear of the track which carries said first door, and said rear wheel riding on a rear track, spring means associated with each of said rods whereby forwardly directed pressure is applied to each of said suspending hangers, the amount of movement permitted by said spring means being such that when said spring means is fully extended in the forward position, the second door is in the closed position, and when said spring means is in its most rear position, said second door is spaced to the rear of said first door the width of said second door.

12. The door assembly of claim 11 wherein said spring means are coiled springs positioned around said horizontal rods between said rear wheels and said suspending hangers.

13. The door assembly of claim 12 wherein each of said horizontal rods is supported by a front structural member which rides on two wheels, said two wheels riding on said middle track.

14. The door assembly of claim 13 wherein the bottom surface of said door contains a groove extending in the direction of movement of said door and positioned to receive a guide means extending upwardly from the floor.

15. The door assembly of claim 14 wherein said side of said second door that abuts said first door is a gently rounded side.

16. A door assembly wherein the doors are flush and in the same plane when in the close position comprising abutting first and second doors;

the side surface of said second door which abuts said 8 second door when the doors are in the closed position is disposed rearward and extends away from said second door with said rearwardly extending surface forming an angle of less than with the front surface of said first door;

means for guiding the movement of said first door so that it can be moved only in the plane it occupies when it is in the closed position;

the side surface of said second door which abuts said first door when the doors are in the closed position is disposed angularly rearward in the direction of said first door;

a movable forward bearing bar positioned behind said rear of said second door and close to the upper edge thereof, said forward bearing bar is aifixed at its rear to two spring actuated plungers, said plungers extending in a direction substantially normal to the surface of said second door when it is in the closed position, said movable forward bearing bar extending sufiiciently in the direction of said first door so that when said second door is positioned behind the position said first door occupies when the doors are in the closed position, said bar will contact at least a small portion of the rear of said second door; spring means are applied to the rear of said second door at a position adjacent the bottom thereof and close to the side of said second door that abuts the first door, the position of said movable bar and said spring means when in the fully extended position being adjacent the rear of said second door when said second door is in the closed position, and the position of said movable bar and said spring means when in the fully rearward position being the width of said second door to the rear of the position occupied by said movable bar and said spring means when in the fully extended position,

whereby relative movement of said first door and said second door causes said second door to become positioned behind said first door.

17. Apparatus for suspending doors which are flush when in the closed position comprising a flat backing member at least substantially the length of the supports from which the two doors are suspended when they are closed, said backing member having a downwardly extending flange along its front side and a downwardly extending flange along its rear side, said front downwardly extending flange supporting a forwardly directed horizontal front track and a rearwardly directed horizontal middle track in side by side relationship; said rear flange supporting a horizontal rear track; said front track being adapted to carry wheels on which a first door is suspended; said middle track and said rear track being adapted to carry at least a pair of front and rear wheels which are connected by rods, said rods being adapted to support said second door and to permit positioning of said second door from the front plane which it occupies when said doors are in the closed position to the rear plane which it occupies when it is positioned behind said first door in an open position.

18. The apparatus of claim 17 wherein a spring is positioned around each of said rods between said rear wheels and a suspending member descending from said rods and supporting said second door, whereby forwardly directed spring pressure is continuously applied against said suspending members and said second door.

19. Apparatus for suspending a first and a second door which are flush when in the closed position comprising an upper longitudinal backing member;

said backing member supporting a horizontal front track, and

a rearwardly extending horizontal middle track, and

a forwardly extending horizontal rear track;

said front track being adapted to carry Wheels on which said first door is suspended;

said middle track and said rear track being adapted to carry at least a pair of front and rear wheels which are connected by rods;

said rods being adapted to support said second door and to permit positioning of said second door from the front plane which it occupies when said doors are in the closed position to the rear plane which it occupies when it is positioned behind said first door in an open position; and

said longitudinal member being substantially parallel to said tracks and of at least the length of movement of the wheels on said tracks,

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS Haley 49-221 Schielke 49-221 XR McCall 49-130 Greig et a1. 49-410 XR Barabas 49-130 Peel 292-2515 XR Migneault et a1. 49-209 Saudek et a1. 49-130 KENNETH DOWNEY, Primary Examiner Patent No.

Inventor(s) Wilma-Jr. Awaiting Officer Column 7, line 75, "second" should read --first--.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION Dated May 12, 1970 C BARABAS It is certified that error appears in the above-identified patent and that said Letters Patent are hereby corrected as shown below:

Column 5, line 55, "wheerin" should read --wher'e1n--' SIGNED AND SEALED SEP1 m mm 3. JR. Gamiaaiom of. Patents FORM PO-IOSO 110-69) USCOMMDC 60376-F'69 u s GOVIRHHENY PIINYIHG ornc: "190-155-114 

